Quang Trong Than, 66, of Huntington Beach was last seen August 21, 2022, while hiking the north slope route of Split Mountain, the 14,000-foot peak on the Kings Canyon National Park–Inyo National Forest boundary. He began the ascent with two companions from the Red Lake trailhead but fell behind near 13,200 feet, near the base of the final summit approach. Between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. he motioned for his partners to continue without him and said he would wait or head down; that was the last confirmed sighting.

When his companions returned to Red Lake their cached helmet and jacket were untouched. They reported him missing after reaching their vehicle in the early hours of August 22, prompting a massive multi-agency search led by the National Park Service and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. Ground teams, canine units, helicopters with high-powered optics, drones and infrared flights, and personnel from multiple agencies including the California National Guard and Yosemite National Park scoured summit areas, the Tinemaha and Red Lake drainages, and descent gullies. No sign of Than was ever found.

He was only equipped for a day hike and not carrying overnight gear. A theory put forward is that he may have fallen into a deep, unstable ravine near where he was last seen that was inaccessible to searchers. Does anyone who hiked Split Mountain that day or knew Than have information that could help explain what happened to him?